Chapter 122: Want to Go on a Show Together?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Want to Go on a Show Together?
A cable variety show?
She wanted me to go on one with her?
“Suddenly? Why?”
“Just because. I got interested in doing a show with you, Jae-ho.”
“…Is this because of the stream I did with Ye-seul yesterday?”
“No. It’s not like that.”
Young-eun crossed her arms and shook her head.
I recalled the texts she had sent yesterday.
The one to me:
—I enjoyed the stream. ^^
And the one to Ye-seul:
—Touch him and you’re dead.
It was obvious she’d come here because of the broadcast I did with Ye-seul…
Was she really asking me to go on a show with her because of that?
“Noona, are you jealous that I did a show with Ye-seul?”
“Jealous?”
“I mean, look at you. You came running here first thing.”
Young-eun immediately hid her feelings behind a poker face.
As expected of a famous actress. Her expression changed in an instant.
“Jealous? Me, jealous of that girl? I just had a good idea, that’s all.”
“Hmm, really?”
“I can help you just like you helped Ye-seul with her stream. The training you showed there looked pretty good.”
Showing the training I did on the stream on a TV show, huh?
It wasn’t a bad proposal.
When I showed my unique workout methods on Young-eun’s Starstagram, I’d earned quite a lot of points.
If I earned that much from an internet stream, how much more could I get from a TV broadcast?
However…
“What kind of show is it?”
“Uh, huh?”
“You said it’s a cable show. What kind of show is it that a regular person like me can appear on?”
“Ah, well. It’s a cable variety show where a star and their friend come on together to solve quizzes. There’s a talent show segment in the middle, too. What do you think?”
“…….”
It was a variety show I’d glimpsed once before.
It wasn’t a massive hit, but it had a loyal fanbase because it showed a star’s candid side and featured their friends telling behind-the-scenes stories.
“I didn’t know you were interested in quiz shows, Noona.”
“We live in an era where even actors need to promote themselves.”
As she spoke, Young-eun couldn’t meet my eyes.
“So? Interested?”
“Hmm.”
I thought about it for a moment.
Everything about it was good. The chance to get my name out on TV and the opportunity to earn points.
If there was one thing holding me back…
I looked at Young-eun.
“You’re not going to tell me you’ll do a show with her but not with me, are you?”
Young-eun let out a low, cute threat.
“It’s just that going on TV feels a bit burdensome.”
It was because I’d be appearing with Young-eun, of all people.
About three months ago, hadn’t there been a huge uproar because of a scandal with her? That was what made me hesitate.
“Don’t worry about the scandal. It was just a rumor anyway, right? And so what if a scandal breaks? We can just give an honest interview. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.”
Was this the confidence that came with her talent? Young-eun seemed unfazed by scandals that could be fatal to other actresses.
“So, are you doing it?”
“You’ll be mad if I don’t.”
“Obviously.”
Young-eun smirked. There was a sharp edge hidden in that smile.
“What’s your answer?”
“When is the recording? This week is tough because of my exams.”
“It’s next week. Don’t worry about the schedule. I’ll make sure everything is adjusted on my end.”
She was full of motivation.
If Young-eun was going this far, I had no reason to refuse anymore. The excuses had vanished.
“Alright. But since I’m doing this favor for you, I’m going to ask for a favor later, too. You have to say yes no matter what it is.”
For the first time, Young-eun flinched.
However, she quickly regained her composure and nodded.
“…Of course. I’ll do anything.”
“You said anything. Definitely.”
“Yes. Anything.”
And just like that, a new contract was established between us.
As I listened to her proposal, a question that had been lingering in my mind surfaced.
“But why did you come all the way to my house?”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, this is something you could have said over the phone.”
It wasn’t like a producer from the station was trying to recruit me. All it took was one word from Young-eun asking me to join her.
Yet, she had come to my house at this early hour, before the sun was even fully up, just for this.
“Right. Yes, well. I could have said it over the phone.”
“Is there something else you wanted to ask me?”
“What?”
“Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to come here so early.”
There was no answer.
Flustered by my question, Young-eun remained silent. Her lips twisted into a strange shape as she struggled to maintain her poker face.
“You don’t need to know.”
“No, but still…”
“Anyway, I’ll contact you once the schedule is fixed. Just know that.”
“Noona, since you’re already here, do you want to get some PT?” I called out to Young-eun’s back as she turned to leave.
“Not today.”
“Why?”
“I’m on my way to see my grandfather. I can’t smell like sweat when I see him…”
Young-eun turned her head back to look at me.
“I’ll ask for it next time.”
She was biting her lip as if she were disappointed.
“Alright.”
“And, you know…”
“Yeah?”
“Ah, never mind. I’ll tell you that next time I get the chance, too.”
Young-eun practically fled.
“What was she going to say?”
*
After parting ways with Jae-ho, Young-eun arrived at the Chairman’s office to meet her grandfather, Chairman Yoo Taek-soo, the head of Jeil Group.
“Sigh, what was I thinking?”
She let out a sigh in front of the office door.
The reason was her going to Jae-ho and asking him to be on the show with her.
Young-eun was a woman famous for strictly managing her reputation and career.
She had told Jae-ho that scandals were nothing, but in reality, every little rumor was a burden to her.
However, the moment she saw Jae-ho broadcasting with Ye-seul, she had lost her cool.
Scandal or not, her only thought was that she had to be on a show with him.
It was unlike her, someone who usually managed her career with a broad perspective. She couldn’t even understand herself.
She could only comfort herself with excuses.
‘Variety shows are ultimately a necessary tool for managing my career anyway.’
“Phew.”
After sighing and fixing her expression, Young-eun opened the door and walked in.
“Chairman, I’m here.”
Chairman Yoo, who was in a meeting with executives, gestured toward them as soon as he saw Young-eun.
“Handle the rest as I discussed earlier, and make sure the employees are managed strictly so no problems arise.”
Every word he spoke carried the power of a beast.
Who would think of him as an old man well over seventy? At least, the executives in the room certainly didn’t.
“Understood.”
“Then, leave.”
At Chairman Yoo’s word, the executives filed out in a swarm.
Once they had cleared out like a receding tide, silence instantly filled the office.
“You’re as strict as ever with the directors.”
“Ahem. I was embarrassed to show you that side of me, so I purposely called you late… Why did you arrive so early?”
The dignified aura he had shown the executives was gone. In its place was the doting, soft expression of a grandfather who adored his granddaughter.
“Didn’t you say that a member of the Yoo family must be more diligent than anyone else?”
“Ho-ho, so you haven’t forgotten. But it seems you’ve forgotten something else.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
At Young-eun’s words, Chairman Yoo pouted as if he were hurt. It was a look entirely unbefitting the head of a conglomerate.
“Aing, have you forgotten already?”
Young-eun racked her brain.
What could her grandfather be talking about?
Because she had been so preoccupied with Jae-ho lately, nothing came to mind easily.
“You’re feeling shy, I see. Fine. I’ll say it. Didn’t you say you’d go on a blind date with that friend of yours?”
“A blind date?”
“Yes.”
Just as she was about to ask Who?, Young-eun realized.
She remembered what she had said in the past.
—I’ll go on a blind date with this man.
She had said those words to Chairman Yoo when he was making a list of potential grandsons-in-law, pointing at Jae-ho.
“Ah.”
“Aing, you really did forget.”
“Grandfather, but wasn’t that meeting back then the end of it?”
Jae-ho had visited Chairman Yoo once before. Wasn’t that enough?
“What are you talking about? How can you call that a blind date? I only met him to test if he was a decent fellow. Normally, a blind date is when a man and a woman have a private, cozy time together…”
Chairman Yoo, back in doting-grandpa mode, began a long lecture on the nature of blind dates. He looked incredibly happy.
“Did… did you like him?” Young-eun asked cautiously.
It was a tone unlike her usual confident self. She didn’t know why she became like this whenever Jae-ho was mentioned.
“Did I like him? Hmm…”
Chairman Yoo fell into deep thought for a moment.
“For now, he barely passed. But since you said you liked him, Young-eun, I thought it would be okay for you to go on a date once.”
“I—I never said I liked him, Grandfather.”
“Is that so?”
His eyes said he didn’t believe her at all.
“If you say so, then it must be true. But you must go on the date. You promised. If you won’t do it with that friend, I’ll find someone else.”
“…I’ll go. But I’ll decide the date and let you know.”
“Very well.”
“Is this why you called me?”
“I called you so I could have lunch with my granddaughter while I was at it. Whenever I’m at the office, I always eat with Secretary Choi. Ho-ho.”
Chairman Yoo let out a refreshed laugh.
*
Young-eun wasn’t the only one who felt jealous after seeing Jae-ho appear on Ye-seul’s stream.
“Sigh.”
Mi-ju let out a deep sigh.
“Maybe I really should have stopped him.”
She muttered to herself, twirling her hair around her finger.
She couldn’t stand watching Jae-ho on Ye-seul’s stream, seeing the two of them laughing and touching so naturally.
But, worried that something might happen during the broadcast, she ended up watching until the very end.
Fortunately, nothing happened, but the thought that something might have occurred after the stream ended kept her from sleeping peacefully.
After staying up all night forcing herself to focus on her studies, Mi-ju firmly resolved once again to become a trainer.
And then…
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
“Mi-ju!”
It was Ye-seul’s voice.
Ever since their big fight over Jae-ho, Ye-seul had avoided speaking to her or even looking at her. Why was she here?
“Come out for a second. I have something to say.”
At one time, they had been inseparable, going to school together every day. But now, Mi-ju didn’t even want to see Ye-seul’s face or hear her voice.
“I came to apologize for what happened before.”
At the word ‘apologize’ coming from beyond the front door, Mi-ju asked in surprise, “Apologize?”
“Yeah. And I have something to tell you.”
Mi-ju opened the door, partly out of lingering affection for their past friendship, and partly out of curiosity to hear what she had to say.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other like this. Has it been two weeks?”
“What is it?”
Ye-seul held out a phone showing a text message.
—Touch him and you’re dead.
What was this?
“It looks like we’re going to have to join forces.”